May Featured Title: The Conscious Marketer
(Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2020)
“Brands can no longer market to consumers but instead have to market with them. In order for a brand to do that, it must be conscious of the world in which we all live together.”
Our May featured title is The Conscious Marketer: Inspiring a Deeper and More Conscious Brand Experience by Jim Joseph! We asked Jim about his writing process, how social media is changing the brand experience, and his best tips for brand managers.
1. As the Global President of marketing communications agency BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), and the recipient of Entrepreneur of the Year, Agency of the Year, and Consumer Launch Campaign of the Year (just to name a few), why did you decide to write The Conscious Marketer and share your knowledge with others?
As a passionate leader and follower of brands, I’ve been carefully watching with fascination how marketers are starting to take a stand on social issues. I’ve also had many clients ask if they too should take a stand on social issues. So I decided that this was an issue that I’d like to tackle, as a way for fellow marketers to think about how what’s going on in the world affects their brand activities
2. What was your writing process like for The Conscious Marketer? How did this process differ from your first book with the Mascot/Amplify team, Out and About Dad?
I’m an early riser and an early writer, so I write a lot when I first wake up. And I’m also an editor by nature. Every morning I would write another chapter and then constantly edit it until I felt it was perfect—which is also why I wrote the book in quick little snippets so that people could read it easily piece by piece. My writing process for this book was a bit different than for Out and About Dad where I did most of that writing while I was traveling. That book was more of a long-form story so I wrote in longer segments to get the story to flow together. I’ve learned to love writing!
3. At the beginning of The Conscious Marketer, you tell (or warn) readers that the tone of the book will be casual—like a two-sided conversation. You use a similar style and tone of voice in your blog, where you post frequent, succinct blogs about a wide variety of topics in the marketing world. Why do you think this type of content is so consumable and convenient for readers?
In many many cases, people are reading on the fly and on mobile devices—at least when it comes to business books. My perspective is to give readers the ability to quickly grasp a concept, think about it, apply it to what they are doing, and then move on! I think it’s more actionable that way.
4. You also have a strong following on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Why do you think it is important to engage with your audience and post frequent, useful content? How has social media changed the brand experience?
I think that thought leadership should be a constant flow of information, not an occasional brain dump. I like to post content on an almost daily basis so that people can get a little dose of thinking to motivate their work for the day. And then the next day. And then the next day. As for the brand experience and social media, well, social media is the brand experience these days. Particularly in our current COVID-19 world. Everything is online and everything is a two-way dialogue. Social media is a great place to be a brand and to live along side your consumers.
5. What are the main takeaways that you hope readers will understand from the book?
It’s vitally important for a brand to be aware of what’s going on in thier consumers’ lives and take it into account when forming marketing programs. Brands can no longer market to consumers but instead have to market with them. In order for a brand to do that, it must be conscious of the world in which we all live together.
6. What’s next for Jim Joseph? Any future books on the horizon?
I’m thinking about a sequel to Out and About Dad. So many people have asked me if it’s coming, so I’m starting to write it in my mind. I need to decide if it’ll go from my mind to a piece of paper!
Amplify, an imprint of Mascot Books, specializes in game-changing political, business, and current affairs titles. Want to learn more about Amplify? Visit the Amplify website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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